If I could choose one ethnic cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, easy answer, Italian.  I adore everything about that country and the food.  Polenta, pasta, tomatoes, basil, lamb, olive oil, red wine, I mean what's not to love.  I grew up with an admiration of this culture's food and it has only expanded as I entered adulthood and started whipping up my own creations.Pasta, basil, and tomatoes with a simple drizzle of olive oil to me is the simplest dish, yet so tasty and comforting.  To…See More

Photo by BE Photography "If you were to be offered a big, bold red wine with gobs of flavor, considerable fullness and weight, with relatively low acidity, and smooth polished tannins, you'd probably say 'that's worth a try,' right?  The time may have come for Syrah, a remarkable red wine that's not terribly well known in the United…See More

 Ok I have a confession, I am not a Merlot fan and actually very rarely drink it due to the over production of the grape and the poor quality of most bottles. So when I found my recipe this week, it looked delicious but requested a…See More

I am lucky enough to have been raised in a family that not only enjoys each other's company but also loves to eat and cook good food.  My mom very early on made sure that the family ate dinner together every night, and I remember sitting down at the dinner table doing my homework while she whirled around the kitchen making us something yummy.  That tradition continues in my house and now I also get to reap the benefits of my younger sisters picking up the mantel and exploring their culinary…See More

“Those are some purple teeth,” is an expression you might hear after drinking a true California Zinfandel (not the pink sugar water).  While Zinfandel did not originate in America, DNA testing revealed that Zin’s daddy is the Primitivo grape from Italy. Zinfandel is truly an American grape. It symbolizes the American spirit in being big and bold, an immigrant, and not backing down…See More

I have been in a chocolate mood for a couple weeks now, and two days ago I finally decided to give in.  So being that I am trying to learn about great food and wine duo's I went with some quality chocolates with a Muscat I already had.  So here are my flash pairing notes:R.L. Buller and Son Premium Fine Muscat.  Victoria Australia.  retails for $14.95Nose:  sweet floral, carmel,…See More

You are going to eat an oatmeal cookie crusted chicken breast with that glass of Gewurztraminer.  What, I've never heard of that?  That is an expression I may have heard if I told someone what I was cooking and drinking last Friday.  The average wine drinker may think it sounds funny, but if you like to eat Asian foods believe me Gewurz (for short) will be your new best friend. This is a spice-killing wine, meaning that it will cool off the fire in your mouth from the food and make the meal…See More

Acid, Acid, Acid, we learned a very important wine pairing lesson about the importance of acid and not the illegal kind.  I made a great chicken curry with sweet potatoes and like most curries it had a ton of spice and fresh ginger so I choose a Pinot Gris to pair with the food because of the acid and overall refreshing quality of the wine.  Here is the lesson learned…We sat down to eat, took a bite of the food and a sip of the wine, and suddenly we became quiet trying to examine the…See More

Here is my old information sheet I used when I hosted my first wine tasting party that centered around Pinot Gris/Grigio.  Feel free to reporduce and print this out to use at you own tasting.  I just ask that you let me know in the comments about how your party went and your successes and  please credit the blog.   Thanks! Pinot Grigio/Gris is a wine with two very different personalities.  While it is the same grape it has two different names depending on the grapes origin or what style is was…See More

It's been a busy week in the Keele household, we have all cycled through the same darn cold, and it is still lingering around in various forms.  With that being said, on Tuesday I was feeling quite good which is great because, I was about to taste a wine I newly discovered.   I have always loved Cabernet, actually it was the first red wine I developed a crush on and started my ongoing red wine love affair.   I like to find good bargain Cabs that still keep the strong tannic and bold flavor…See More

Pinot Noir is a lovely wine, one that conjures up images of rolling hills, cool breezes, and butterflies.  It is easy to drink and just as easy to fall in love with, however like most relationships it is often moody and will cost you a lot of money.  I think the grape is undoubtedly one of my mom’s and I favorites.  It is very difficult to find a good one at any price point below $20, therefore not any everyday wine for the cash strapped households.  Pinot however, is a wonderful wine to have…See More

I like to think of Syrah as the older sister who likes to sit by the fireplace and snuggle in to read a good book after finishing a nice bowl of stew with her family.  Shiraz on the other hand, is the younger sister who likes to watch MTV reality shows in her spare time after chowing down on pizza and wings with her boyfriend.  They are the same grape, yet so different because of the region of the world they are grown.  Syrah was born in France more specifically the Rhone region, and then found…See More

I am a seafood lover, and I often say out loud and in my head that I live in the wrong state.  My dream would be to live near the ocean where fresh seafood was at every market and at an affordable price.  Well with that aside, Sprouts recently had Dungeness crab on sale, and we decided to take the plunge in both our wallets and with our culinary skills.  We bought two crabs to see what we could do.  Luckily they were not alive but flash steamed already, because I do not think I could have…See More

Okay here is my first ever entry, from Wine a Bit!   Last night we had an adventure trying to find the right wine, the one we wanted was no longer being made by the winery so we had to find the best match which took my mom three stores and at least three phone calls.  Chardonnay has always been on my enemy list only because there are soooo many on the market and usually they are overworked with oak and have a cheap rubbing alcohol taste.  When you finally taste a good one it is worth the effort…See More